Business rates are one of the biggest killers of Britain’s high streets. This year the multiplier rose again, and the Office for National Statistics forecasts another 5,000 shop, café, and pub closures before Christmas. That’s 100 lost businesses every single week, often in towns that can least afford it.
Online giants like Amazon pay almost nothing in property tax while a local independent on the same street hands over tens of thousands. The temporary 75 % relief introduced during Covid has been repeatedly watered down, and the current 40 % discount is set to vanish completely in 2026. That cliff-edge will wipe out thousands more family firms.
The answer is simple: make the 40 % relief permanent for all retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses with a rateable value under £100,000, and add a £250 million annual digital-transition fund so these shops can fight back online. The Treasury would still collect billions, but the money would come from the web giants rather than forcing another “To Let” sign on your high street.
Every closed shop means fewer jobs, less council tax, and another derelict building dragging the area down. Permanent relief costs a fraction of what the government spends on corporate handouts, yet it keeps money circulating in local economies instead of disappearing into offshore warehouses.
Britain’s high streets are part of our national identity. They deserve a fighting chance.
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